A label printer includes a thermal head and a platen roller. The label printer pinches one end in the longitudinal direction of a continuous paper wound into a roll between the thermal head and the platen roller, and rotates the platen roller to feed the continuous paper in a sheet shape. During this feeding, the thermal head in this label printer prints desired information on each of a plurality of labels temporarily adhering to a long strip of mount included in the continuous paper.
There are two types of ejection schemes for such label printer, that is, continuous ejection and separation ejection. The continuous ejection is to eject labels while leaving the labels temporarily adhering to a mount. The separation ejection is to separate labels from a mount and then eject the same.
In the case of the continuous ejection, the operator cuts off a mount having a required number of labels attached thereon from a continuous paper. Then the operator can bring this cut-off mount to the site, and can separate the labels from the mount for attachment at the site. The continuous ejection is therefore suitable for the case where a target for attachment of the labels is located in a place away from the printer.
Meanwhile in the case of the separation ejection, the printer ejects labels separated from a mount one by one. The separation ejection is therefore suitable for the case where a target for attachment of the labels is located near the operator. With regard to the separation ejection, a switching unit attached to the printer is set at the separation ejection position. Then one end in the longitudinal direction of the mount is bent via a separation pin, and the one end is pinched between a separation roller of the switching unit and a platen roller. Thereby, when the continuous paper is fed for printing by rotating the platen roller, the mount is fed while being pinched between the separation roller and the platen roller. During the feeding, the printed labels are separated from the mount one by one and are ejected from the printer.
As an example of a printer having the two types of ejection modes including the continuous ejection and the separation ejection, the printer described in Japanese laid-open patent publication JP 2004-42431 is known, for example.